


Love Bite

by MayJestic



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Panic, Hunk & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, I'm sorry that Hunk and Allura got almost no lines, Idiots in Love, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pidge won, Pidge | Katie Holt is a Good Friend, just kidding she's a gremlin, love bug au, shiro was rooting for these two all along, they aren't really in character but I tried, those two made a bet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-19 05:39:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14230497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayJestic/pseuds/MayJestic
Summary: While exploring an unknown planet, Keith gets bitten by a love bug which makes him fall in love with the first person he lays eyes on. I think you can guess who that person is.





	1. Oh Please No

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my gosh I am so excited to finally be on archive of our own! (I am so sorry I am not very good at writing notes.) Even though I am not the most talented author and there are hundreds of other love bug AU's out there, please bear with me. This is my first Voltron fic ever and I hope the characters are at least a little bit accurate to how they are described in the show. (I am not a native English speaker and in case you notice some mistakes please let me know so I can improve my writing!)

The planet that Lance, the other four paladins, Allura and Coran were currently exploring was, in fact, quite magical. There were flowers growing everywhere, in all shapes and colors, which spread an amazingly refreshing scent through the air. Even the soaring trees were extraordinarily colorful and they apparently served as homes for the planet's inhabitants, which, in Lance's opinion, looked a little bit like bird-squirrel-hybrids, so it would kind of make sense for them to live inside these giant motley trees? But Pidge had told the group that, despite their primitive way of living, the "people" of T'Rox were actually pretty good at creating advanced technology, which was the entire reason why they had even decided to visit their planet in the first place. What exactly they were looking for was a little bit of a mystery to Lance, since he usually tunes out once the topic technology is even remotely mentioned. But because the population of T'Rox was willing to join the alliance and hand their high-tech devices to Voltron in exchange for protection against Zarkon, Allura wanted all paladins to be present. Hunk and Pidge, of course, were walking in front of the rest of the group, having a lively conversation with the queen of the bird-squirrel-hybrid-people, as she was leading the seven of them deeper into the forrest. Apparently she was hosting a feast in honor of Voltron's arrival. And normally Lance would have been thrilled at the thought of getting food and drinks for free, if he hadn't been sweating so hard under his paladin armor.

"I feel so sweaty, I think I have actually soaked through my clothes.", Lance complained, taking off his helmet with an annoyed sigh and using the back of his left hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

"I probably wouldn't do that, if I were you. We don't know what's out here.", he heard Keith say and rolled his eyes.

"Can't just pull that stick out of your ass for _one damn day_ , can you, Mullet?"

_"Ow!"_ The smug grin plastering Lance's face only seconds ago turned into a slightly worried expression when he heard Keith yelp. He turns to face Keith, who has taken his helmet off and was clutching one hand against his cheek. Lance took a couple of steps forward, putting one hand on Keith's shoulder.

"You okay, buddy?", he asked, the concern evident in his voice. And yes, this was Keith he was worrying about. And even though they were kind of supposed to hate each other, you know, because of the entire "rivalry" thing, Lance still cared about his well-being. But he would probably never admit it to anyone but himself - admitting it to himself had been hard enough already - because his pride wouldn't be able to endure that sort of humiliation.

Keith moved his hand away from his face, locking eyes with Lance. His expression was fond - and oh god, just the thought of it sounded weird as hell to Lance. The entire situation seemed like a dream, like this couldn't possibly be the actual Keith standing in front of him, gazing at him like he was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on.

"Lance.", Keith breathed, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Yeah. You feeling alright, buddy?" Lance hesitantly smiled back, his eyebrows knit together in confusion. Keith nodded his head. That was the moment Lance noticed a red mark, similar to a mosquito bite, just below his cheek bone.

"You sure? Looks like you got bit by something." And probably the last thing that Lance expected to happen in that situation, ended up happening. Keith lunged himself at Lance and - since he wasn't really prepared to suddenly get tackled in a hug like that - they both fell onto the ground with a loud thud.

"I've never felt better.", Keith mumbled against Lance's shoulder, his voice coming out muffled. Lance froze. Keith was hugging him. Keith, his rival. Keith, the guy who can't stand to be near him. The guy who he always thought, hated him. So, what - in god's name - had gotten into him? Lance can feel himself blushing as Keith wrapped his arms even tighter around his chest and nuzzled his nose into the crook of Lance's neck. Since he wasn't really sure what to do, he turned towards his other teammates for help, who were all staring at the two of them with shocked expressions.

"Come on, don't just stand around! Do something!", Lance shouts, trying to struggle free from Keith's death grip on him. Shiro is the first to act, grabbing Keith - who immediately tries to free himself from his hold - by his arms and pulling him away from the boy that he had pinned down beneath him. Lance scrambled to his feet, turning towards the queen, hoping he would get some answers from her.

"What the hell is happening to him?", he asked, annoyance and confusion evident in his tone.

"Let me go!", he heard Keith shout, as he was still trying to get Shiro to stop holding him back. The queen had a nonchalant expression on her face, like this whole situation was something that happened regularly on their planet.

"It appears your friend has been bit by one of the planet's very rare love bugs.", she told the group, offering them a small smile. Lance really couldn't understand how the queen was being so calm.

"Come again?", he asked, sounding obviously upset.

"The bug's venom makes the recipient of the bite fall in love with the first person they lay eyes on." If Lance was being honest, that explanation didn't exactly put his mind at ease. In other words, he wished for the floor to swallow him whole.

"Great. Just great.", Lance mumbled, running a hand through his hair in a matter of trying to calm himself down a little bit.

"Is there anything we can do to stop it?", Pidge finally decides to chime in, turning towards the queen.

"I'm afraid not. But each species reacts differently to the venom, so it might be possible for you to create an antidote.", the queen explained to them, shooting Lance an apologetic glance.

"Maybe we can just lock him in his room until the venom has left his system?", Hunk suggested with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, obviously not aware of the seriousness of the entire situation.

"That won't be a valid option either. Being away from the person they have fallen in love with for too long will cause both mental and physical pain for the recipient of the bite. It can actually end up being lethal."

Lance lets out a high-pitched shriek as two arms wrap tightly around his torso. Keith rests his cheek in between Lance's shoulder blades, pulling him even closer against his chest.

"We should probably run a couple of tests, see what we can find out.", Pidge proposed with an annoyed sigh, already making her way back towards the castle.

"G-Good idea.", Lance stuttered, feeling his cheeks slowly turn red with heat.

{...}

They had immediately taken a sample of Keith's blood, once they had returned to the castle. Coran could identify big amounts of the hormones dopamine, serotonin, as well as oxytocin running through his system, which would explain why he was acting all lovey-dovey towards Lance. He could feel everyone staring at him - everyone except for Keith, who kept clinging to Lance like his life depended on it - while he was still examining Keith's test results, twisting his mustache between his fingers.

"So," Coran spoke up, turning around to meet the expectant looks of his fellow teammates.

"Keith's blood contains high levels of dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, hormones the human body produces while being in love. And since the venom affects all species differently, I can't really predict how long Keith will remain in this state. But it shouldn't last longer than a week at most."

"A week?!", Lance screeched, Keith still hugging him from behind.

"Yes.", Coran mumbled, clearing his throat a little awkwardly, "But there is also good news! I might be able to create an antidote. And I'm sorry, Lance, but you're going to have to keep up with Keith for a couple of days until it's finished."

Lance let out a deep groan at the explanation. He had stopped trying to struggle out of Keith's grip a while ago, knowing that there was no way he was ever going to let go of him. If Lance was being honest, he couldn't claim that he hated the affection he was getting from Keith - he did have a massive crush on the guy - but just the fact that this was Keith Kogane clinging to him made Lance feel like he was taking advantage of the raven haired boy. Lance knew that Keith loathed him and that he would never act like this if he was in his right mind. The rest of the team all gradually left the med bay to go take care of more pressing matters, eventually leaving Lance and Keith alone in the room. The Cuban could feel his heartbeat quicken once he realized that he was now completely alone with Keith. Lance let out a deep sigh. He didn't want Keith to feel bad about all the things that happened between them the moment he returned back to normal, so he just had to intervene. Even if that meant breaking the boy's heart.

"Keith, buddy, could you please let go of me?" Keith's firm grip around his torso finally started to loosen.

"Why?" Lance could feel his heart clench at the sadness of the other boy's tone.

"It's making me uncomfortable.", he spoke, trying to make his voice sound as soft as possible. The last thing he wanted was to see Keith cry because of him.

_"Oh."_ Keith slowly backed away. Lance turned around and had to repress a sigh of relief when he saw Keith hesitantly smiling up at him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to feel awkward or anything."

"Don't worry about it.", Lance mumbled a little absentmindedly, staring at the raven haired boy standing in front of him in disbelief. In that moment Lance started to understand just how blinded by love Keith really was.

"Is this okay?" Keith hesitated a little before grabbing Lance's hand and intertwining their fingers. The taller boy could feel his heart melt at the gesture, a small smile creeping onto his lips. Even reminding himself that this wasn't his usual Keith wouldn't do any good in that situation, because the red paladin was glancing at him with such a hopeful expression on his face, that he just couldn't refuse him.


	2. I Don't Want To Break Your Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith confesses to Lance under very unfortunate circumstances. For Lance, there is only one right thing to do.

Not too long after Coran had given them Keith's test results, the group made their way through the forest towards the center of the village, where they would me having the diplomatic meeting with the queen of T'Rox. Even though team Voltron's situation might not be ideal for such a serious discussion, the queen insisted that they would still have the meeting despite the small disturbance. They were short on time anyway, Zarkon probably already planning his next move. He was always one step ahead of them and Voltron was trying to keep that from happening as best as they could. But Zarkon's witch Haggar had access to unthinkable amounts of power now that they were able to harvest quintessence from entire planets. Allura didn't even want to think about what types of plans they were making in their quest of capturing Voltron. T'Rox would definitely be an important ally in their fight against the Galra empire. And even though they weren't very skilled when it came to fighting on the battlefield, every planet joining the Voltron coalition would only make them stronger.

While the rest of the team was calmly strolling through the forest of T'Rox, Lance was walking slightly behind them, with Keith clinging to his side again, the talk they had earlier long forgotten. And the Cuban boy was feeling extreme discomfort, to say the least. It was simply way too unusual for Keith to show so much affection towards anyone. Except for maybe Shiro. And it made Lance feel horrible. If Keith had been in his right mind he would have probably punched him square in the jaw. Lance felt as if he was taking advantage of the raven haired boy, trying to satisfy all the years of pining he had to endure. And although he wanted to, he really, really wanted to, he just couldn't push Keith away. And Lance would probably never admit it to himself - or anyone for that matter - but he wanted to have this while it lasted. Keith would probably hate him, call him names and never talk to him again after all of this was over, but he simply wasn't able to break the boy's heart like that. He loved that stupid idiot, more than he was comfortable with and just thinking about the hurt expression on his face after Lance would push Keith off of him made the Cuban's heart clench. And even though spoiling him would probably just make it worse for the both of them, Lance simply couldn't do it. Keith most likely didn't even know it himself, but he was the most precious person Lance had ever had the pleasure of meeting and he wanted to treasure him - although it didn't seem like that most of the time. Yes, they fought quite a lot and they did act like they simply couldn't stand each other, when it reality, it wasn't at all like that - at least not for Lance. The only reason he started the whole rivalry thing with Keith - and this will probably sound extremely cliche - was to be able to deal with his massive crush on him. And Keith - thinking Lance was being serious - simply played along. So the only reason they were acting so hateful towards each other was because of some stupid "rivalry" Lance created, because he wasn't able to deal with his feelings. And he didn't care if Keith was going to hate him after all of this was over, because he was going to tell him. After all this time, it simply needed to be said. And who knows, maybe Keith liked him back. (Although Lance highly doubted that.)

When the team arrived, Lance needed a couple of seconds to take in the sight before him. And even though he expected their meeting to be held in an actual hall rather than surrounded by trees, he didn't complain. The seven of them were standing not too far away from the shore of a giant ocean that looked extremely similar to home. Extremely similar to Varadero Beach, to be exact. White sand, turquoise water and a clear blue sky. And Lance had never felt more confused. On one hand, he was happy and appreciated the beautiful view in front of him and on the other, his chest began to feel incredibly tight, like it usually did whenever he thought about home or his family. And for a moment Lance felt like it was going to swallow him. Like he was going to get swallowed by the pain in his chest, like it was literally eating him up from the inside. Lance knew that feeling all too well. It had been a while since they left earth and in the beginning Lance thought going to space was the most exciting thing to ever happen to him, but that was before he had really began to realize that they were all going to spend more time up there than they had anticipated. That he wasn't going to return home until Zarkon was dead and the Galra empire defeated. And from the day on when the realization came not one day passed that he didn't think about his family. That he didn't think about his mom, or his brother Marco, or his brother Louis, or his sister Veronica, or his grandma. He missed them all so much and to know that he wasn't going to see them in a longer time than he was comfortable with - or possibly ever again - made him tear up each time. Keith had apparently began to notice that Lance wasn't feeling well, because the raven haired boy was gazing up at him with an expression of hurt and concern on his face.

"Lance, are you okay?", Keith voiced his thoughts, grabbing Lance's hand and rubbing circles on the back of it. And Lance flinched a little, because he had only ever heard those words come out of Keith's mouth one other time and it sounded almost exactly the same. (And yes, Lance did remember the bonding moment. He was simply too much in denial and too deep in the closet to actually admit it.) It sounded so much like Keith, like the real Keith, not like the lovey-dovey version of him. And it helped Lance calm down slightly, even though he still felt the overwhelming need to storm back towards the castle, lock himself in his room and hide under the covers until the next day. (Although that would be quite hard considering Keith was still attached to his side like a baby monkey. But he didn't despise the idea of having a buddy to cuddle with.) Lance quickly swallowed before answering, as his throat suddenly felt extremely dry.

"I would like to get out of here.", he answered, Keith immediately letting go of his hand. Lance tore his attention away from the beach in front of him and looked down at Keith, who simply shot him a small and reassuring smile, with a confused expression on his face.

"I'll talk to Allura.", Keith spoke softly, his voice barely above a whisper as he made his way towards the princess and the others, who were already having lively conversations with the queen and the planet's inhabitants. Lance watched Keith pull Allura off to the side, who appeared to be slightly concerned but mostly disappointed. Probably because the queen would have been most satisfied with having all paladins present. But Lance couldn't stay there any longer. He simply couldn't deal with having so many people around him at that moment and going back to the castle seemed to be the only way he would be able to calm himself down. And since Keith didn't talk much and mostly hugged him or held his hand, he wouldn't mind having the raven haired boy around. And Lance had always been very open when it came to physical contact and sometimes that was the only thing he needed to feel better. (A simple hug from for example his mother or Hunk could do the trick.) Allura gave Keith a small smile as a goodbye before continuing her conversation with the queen. The raven haired boy turned around as well, walking up to Lance and grabbing his hand before pulling the Cuban after him towards the castle-ship. After they were almost halfway there, Keith suddenly stopped in his tracks, letting go of Lance's hand and turning around to look at him. Lance looked at Keith with a confused expression on his face, but the other boy simply responded by shooting him his biggest and best smile. Nothing could have prepared Lance for what came next. 

"I love you.", Keith spoke confidently, like he had done it numerous times before, like it was the most natural thing ever to him, staring at Lance in awe. And before the Cuban had even gotten the chance to process the raven haired boy's words, two soft hands were cupping his face as Keith slowly began to lean in. Lance went rigid for a couple of seconds, contemplating wether or not he should simply let it happen or push Keith away from him. And even though Lance wanted nothing more than to feel Keith's lips on his, the Cuban chose to go with the latter. And even though the lovey-dovey version of Keith would probably feel rejected and hurt, Lance simply couldn't risk letting himself be swept away. Because getting in too deep would mean Lance was risking losing the precious friendship him and Keith had tried so hard to build. Lance placed his hands on Keith's chest, pushing the raven haired boy one arm's length away from him. The Cuban could feel his heart clench when he saw the gloomy and at the same time confused expression on the shorter boy's face. Lance let out a deep sigh and quickly closed his eyes for a couple of seconds before speaking. 

"I'm sorry, Keith, but this isn't you. You got bitten by that weird love bug and now you're convinced that you love me. But you don't.", Lance said in a soft voice, trying his best to be as considerate as possible and not hurt Keith's feelings too much. The raven haired boy had begun to stare at his feet as Lance talked. 

"But... it feels so real.", Keith spoke in a breathy voice, sounding like he was about to cry as he quietly sniffled. And Lance felt so bad for him that he couldn't help but pull Keith into a tight embrace, resting his left hand just above the small of Keith's back, the other gently stroking the raven haired boy's hair. The shorter boy stayed stiff for a couple of seconds before hesitantly wrapping his arms around Lance's torso and burrying his face in the crook of Lance's neck as he breathed in the taller boy's scent. The position they were in felt so extremely intimate to Lance, he simply didn't want it to end because this was probably the closest they were ever going to get. And even though it was probably selfish of Lance to take advantage of Keith's lovey-dovey self like that, he simply enjoyed how good Keith's hands roaming around his back and the raven haired boy's lips pressing tiny little butterfly kisses all over the sensitive skin of his neck and collarbone had felt. (After all, he still had the excuse that he simply wanted to comfort Keith.) Keith was shaking, trying to keep himself from sobbing and Lance said the only thing which came to his mind at the time that would be able to get the raven haired boy to calm down, that would be able to give him back a piece of hope to hold on to. 

"I know. But I can't say it back. Not yet.", the Cuban whispered into Keith's ear, feeling the shorter boy slightly shiver at his words. Keith only squeezed Lance even closer against his chest, as if he was scared the Cuban was going to disappear at any second, the small gesture making Lance's heart melt. They kept standing there for a couple of minutes, Lance's homesickness long forgotten as his thoughts revolved entirely around the raven haired boy he was cradling in his arms.


	3. Always

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Galra fleet attacks at the most inappropriate time. Keith ends up doing something stupid, which leads to Lance having to rescue him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because of all the postive feedback I've gotten over the past twenty-four hours, I decided to release the third chapter now. Hope you enjoy.

"What is it, Keith?", Lance asked in a soft voice, a small smile creeping onto his lips at how shy the raven haired boy was acting. Keith was standing in front of him, a beautiful blush dusting his cheeks a light pink, while twiddling with his thumbs. The raven haired boy literally never got flustered and Lance would definitely use this golden opportunity to tease him about it for the rest of his life. Keith swallowed hard before answering.

"Can I sleep with you?" And even though that sentence had such an innocent and pure meaning, Lance's dirty mind immediately started thinking in a completely wrong direction which caused him to almost choke on his own spit. The Cuban could feel his cheeks slightly heat up as well, as he nodded. The both of them entered his room and Keith immediately began stripping off his jacket and pants. And because Lance was a very polite person, he instantly averted his eyes, walking over to his closet to pull out his blue paladin robe. (And no, he didn't just do it because he was trying to keep Keith from noticing his giant blush. Not at all. Why would you even think of such a thing?) The Cuban got changed as well, only still wearing his briefs underneath the night gown. He turned towards the raven haired boy, who had proceeded with staring at his feet, looking a little lost. Lance had felt slightly uncomfortable with all the affection Keith was giving him in the beginning and the Cuban knew that even though it was hard, the raven haired boy tried his best to not overstep boundaries. Lance laid down on his back on the bed, draping the blanket over himself as he reached out his arms, trying to silently indicate that he wanted Keith to cuddle with him. The raven haired boy understood as his eyes began to shine with happiness and he climbed under the covers as well. He snuggled up to Lance, resting his head on Lance's chest and listening to the Cuban's heartbeat as he tangled their legs together. While the raven haired boy sighed contentedly, Lance felt like he was actually going to die. His body went completely rigid and his heart was beating so fast he was convinced it would jump out of his chest at any moment. After a couple of minutes of simply staring at the ceiling and trying to get himself to calm down, Lance noticed Keith's steady and quiet breathing indicating that he had fallen asleep. The Cuban began to unconsciously stroke Keith's hair, a small smile creeping onto his lips at the raven haired boy's calm expression. Lance fell asleep not long after.

The two boys were woken up early in the artificial morning by blaring arms and Allura's voice ordering the five paladins to get to their lions immediately. Lance quietly groaned as he jumped out of bed, reaching for his paladin armor. Keith got out of bed as well, already storming towards Lance's door so he could get to his own room and put on his suit too. The Cuban quickly pulled on the last piece of his armor, before grabbing the raven haired boy's forearm in a tight grip, Keith turning around to look at him in surprise. And although Lance didn't want to make the red paladin feel bad about something he had no control over, there were some things that simply needed to be said. Because if Keith got reckless during battle and let the venom of the bug affect his actions, they were going to get into some serious trouble and people might end up hurt. And Lance knew that the raven haired boy would never be able to forgive himself if it actually came to that. And even though the lovey-dovey version of Keith might not be able to understand that Lance was only trying to help him and make the entire situation easier for the raven haired boy after everything was over and the venom was out of his system, it still needed to be done. Hurting the one he loved wasn't easy for Lance either. He closed his eyes quickly and took a couple of deep breaths before talking.

"Keith, I know that this entire situation isn't your fault. But I need you to pull yourself together, at least until the battle is over. We simply can't afford recklessness in a fight like this. Do you understand?", Lance spoke in a stern voice, his grip on Keith's arm tightening slightly to lay emphasis on his words. Keith slowly nodded and grabbed Lance's hand before saying something that made the Cuban's heart melt. (Lance didn't think he would survive the next couple of days if Keith was going to keep up acting like a total cutie.)

"But promise you'll come back to me.", Keith whispered, his lower lip quivering slightly as he talked, the raven haired boy's eyes glazed with tears threatening to spill out. The Cuban nodded, a small smile creeping onto his lips as he raised their intertwined hands up to his mouth, leaving brief kisses on each of Keith's knuckles. The raven haired boy gazed up at the blue paladin with an expression of adoration and affection on his face.

"Always.", Lance breathed, letting go of Keith's hand to grab his helmet, the touch lingering. They both stepped out the door, entering the hall. The two of them went their seperate ways, Keith jogging towards his own room to pull on his armor and Lance sprinting down the corridor to arrive at the bridge as fast as possible, putting on his helmet in the process. The Cuban quickly glanced over his shoulder, watching Keith disappear when he rounded a corner.

All in all, the fight had been pretty chaotic. The five paladins had tried to form Voltron numerous times, but Keith simply didn't have his head in the game, his worry and overprotectiveness over Lance distracting him from the actual task at hand. In other words, team Voltron was miserably losing. Allura and Coran had decided to provide them with support, their screams still echoing in Lance's ears as the castle's partical barrier got destroyed shortly after, the ship losing all power when the Galra fired off another crushing blow. Lance charged after Shiro, who was trying to destroy one of the Galra ships with his lion's jaw blade, the Cuban firing at the cruiser's ion canon as a distraction. They had actually succeeded, a massive explosion ripping the spacecraft apart at its core. Lance did get a little sloppy admiring his work though as another Galra cruiser had already charged its ion canon and fired at him. The Cuban could hear his comrades scream his name over the comms as Lance's eyes locked onto the purple beam of light rushing right towards him. The Cuban braced himself for impact, spotting a flash of red as he let his eyes fall shut. Lance's eyes shot open at the realization that the blow didn't actually hit him like it should have and that the other paladins had begun to call a different name. Keith's name. Keith took the hit for him and the red paladin's lion had therefore lost power. Meanwhile, the Galra had released their fighters which immediately began charging after the four remaining lions. While the paladins were being distracted by the fighters stuck to their tails, one of the Galra cruisers had activated its tractor beam to steal the red lion. Lance (of course, who else would it be?) was the first to notice what was happening, groaning a little when Blue took a couple of hits from the fighters still chasing him which he quickly demolished by turning around and using his lion's laser.

"Guys, they're trying to capture Keith! We need to get him out of the cruiser's tractor beam!", Lance hollered over the comms, helping Shiro out who had been struggling with a couple of fighters attached to his tail. The Cuban gasped when one of the cruisers charged its ion canon and fired it at Lance, who could luckily dodge the attack quickly enough.

"Lance, I really wish I could but they're all over me!"

"Same here!" Lance let out a loud growl at that, trying to help his comrades out as best as he could by shooting at fighters charging after them with his lion's weaponry so they would be able to save Keith from the tractor beam. But it had already been too late, the Galra had captured Keith and his lion and were beginning to retreat.

"We can't let that cruiser get away.", Shiro spoke over the comms, as calmy as ever, the boosters of their lions at full power as the four of them began chasing after the Galra cruiser which had caught the red paladin. Each of them began attacking a different ship to keep the fleet busy for as long as possible, of course trying not too damage the cruiser Keith was in too much.

"Now, what's the plan, Shiro?", Lance asked, obviously sounding annoyed, as he attacked the ion canon of one of the cruisers.

"Someone's gonna have to get on that ship."

"I'll do it.", Lance answered in an instant, sounding as determined as never before. Shiro approved of the Cuban's plan to go on his own, asking him to be careful and act quickly, because if the ship went into hyper-drive, both him and Keith would be doomed. Lance took a couple of deep breaths before getting out of his seat and opening his lion's hatch.

"Here goes nothing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit is about to go down.


	4. I Knew You Would

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance saves Keith from the Galra cruiser after he got badly injured by two Galra officers. The blue paladin and Shiro have a little talk about Lance's feelings for the raven haired boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this chapter! Get ready for the next one because it's about to get even more fluffy.

"Guys, I could really use some backup here!", Lance screamed over the comms, groaning as he dodged a couple of shots rushing right by him when he peaked his head around a corner. (Like, Lance didn't think boarding a Galra ship and saving his teammate was going to be easy, but he didn't expect it to be this hard.) The Cuban could see the red paladin being dragged away by a couple of Galra troopers out of the corner of his eye. Lance slightly cursed under his breath. He would never be able to defeat all those robots guarding the red lion and get to Keith in time. The Cuban didn't even want to imagine what they were going to do to him. Probably throw him in a cell and torture him until he spits out information about Voltron but only over Lance's dead body. And even though it wasn't Keith's fault and he had no control over his actions, Lance couldn't help but feel angry at the red paladin for doing something so stupid and reckless. And Lance couldn't help but feel angry at himself for getting sloppy and putting the both of them in this position in the first place. He would never be able to forgive himself for putting the one he loved in danger.

"Hold out for as long as you can, Lance! We're still quite busy out here!", Shiro answered over the comms, his voice sounding like he was in a big rush. Lance let out a loud groan at that statement as the Cuban raised his bayard before emerging from his cover, firing off a couple of shots to ward off sentries that had begun approaching him, some of them getting destroyed and falling onto the metal floor with a loud thunk.

"This isn't about me!", the Cuban called, returning to his safe position behind a wall where the Galra troopers weren't able to hit him with their lasers. Lance slightly flinched, when a big blue beam of light tore through the metal walls of the ship, the hangar room going up in flames in a big explosion, most of the robots getting demolished in the process. Lance shot down the remaining sentries with his bayard, running across the room towards the corridor where a few Galra soldiers had taken Keith. The blue paladin spotted a flash of yellow out of his peripheral vision, making a mental note to later thank Hunk for helping him once the Cuban had found and saved Keith and they were all back on the castle of lions. Lance rounded a corner, detecting two Galra officers dragging the red paladin with them, who was trying to struggle free from their grasp. They both just snickered sinisterly at Keith's hopeless attempts to release himself from their strong holds on his wrists, Lance silently growling. The smiles of the two Galra soldiers immediately faded as they noticed the blue paladin charging at them, his bayard raised. One of the officers dropped to the floor, a shot hitting his kneecap. The Cuban fired off another blow, hitting the officer who was already on his knees in the back of the neck, causing the Galra to fall onto the floor completely. Lance dedicated his attention to the other soldier, who had raised his sword by now, which caused Keith to fall onto the metal tiles with a groan. The Galra swung his blade at Lance, the blue paladin blocking the attack with his bayard. The Cuban was pushed backwards, the sword and gun making a clash-sound, Lance firing off another shot, which hit the Galra officer in the gut, causing him to fall to the ground next to his associate. The blue paladin rushed to Keith's side, the raven haired boy groaning a little in pain as the Cuban helped him sit up, their hands intertwining. 

"I didn't doubt you for a second, Lance. I knew you would come to save me.", Keith spoke, tears streaming down his cheeks, which were bruised and littered with small cuts, as a small smile creeped onto his lips that Lance simply had to return. The blue paladin rested his free hand on Keith's cheek, wiping away a couple of tears as best as he could without hurting the raven haired boy. And for one time those past couple of days, Lance said something that made Keith's heart melt.

"I promised you that I would always come back to you. I did. And I always will.", Lance answered with a big smile on his face, Keith gazing at him with a look of affection on his face. The Cuban leaned towards Keith so their foreheads were touching. Somehow that whole situation seemed so familiar to Lance. The blue paladin felt the need to punch himself in the jaw when he remembered why. The bonding moment.

"Now I'm the one cradling you in my arms.", he breathed, the both of them chuckling at the statement. The both of them stayed like that for a couple of minutes, before making their way back to the hangar so the others could come pick them up, Lance insisting on carrying Keith, even though the raven haired boy had tried to assure him numerous times that he was able to walk.

"Everyone, we're ready for takeoff.", the Cuban called over the comms in a happy and pleased tone, a big grin creeping onto his lips. He noticed Keith lazily smiling up at him, the raven haired boy's eyes fluttering shut. Lance gained quite a lot of praise from his fellow comrades for getting the red paladin back, as he stepped into the cockpit of Hunk's lion, who had come to pick the both of them up. Once everyone had returned to the castle, Coran decided he wanted to inspect how bad Keith's injuries were, even though they didn't look too bad from the outside. But since the raven haired boy had fallen asleep in Lance's arms and didn't seem like he was going to wake up any time soon, the rest of team Voltron couldn't really ask the red paladin for his opinion, so they simply decided to take off his clothes and see if any severe external or internal damage had been done. Bruises were littered around the area of Keith's upper body, so Coran decided to put the raven haired boy in a pod for a couple of days, in case some of his ribs were cracked or possibly broken. Even though this whole situation pretty fucking sucked and Lance felt pretty fucking guilty, it did have one positive aspect - he wouldn't have to deal with a lovestruck Keith for the next couple of quintents. Everyone gradually left the med bay - except for Lance and Shiro. The Cuban gave the black paladin a little bit of a confused expression. Shiro simply shot him a smile as he put one hand on Lance's shoulder before speaking.

"Thank you, Lance. For bringing him back." A small and hesitant smile creeped onto the blue paladin's lips as well.

"No problem, man! I mean, he is our teammate after all.", Lance answered, letting out a slightly nervous laugh. Shiro apparently seemed to notice, as his previously appreciative smile turned into a little bit of a mischievous one. The black paladin let his arm fall to his side again.

"You know, I was kind of surprised when you volunteered to get onto that Galra cruiser and save him so quickly. I thought you two kind of hated each other." Lance let out a small, cold chuckle at that statement, Shiro eyeing him in confusion. And even though the blue paladin had always thought that he would never tell another living soul about his crush on Keith, there was no denying it at that moment. Lance wasn't dumb, he knew Shiro was onto him.

"Well, I for my part can say that I'm pretty fucking in love with that guy." And even though the Cuban kind of excpected to get yelled at for being so irresponsible and that his feelings could affect the team and forming Voltron yada yada yada, the lecture never came. The black paladin just gave him a bright smile and a small pat on the back.

"You guys should definitely talk after everything is over.", Shiro spoke while turning around, shooting Lance a suspicious look. And even though the Cuban couldn't really interpret what it meant, one thing was certain - the black paladin knew something that Lance didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance cradled Keith in his arms!


	5. Fucking Finally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter we have all been waiting for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, firstly, I had a blast writing this chapter. Secondly, I had a blast writing this entire fic! Really, it's amazing how much support I've gotten! I came over to ao3 from wattpad and was super self-conscious because I never got many reads on most of my fics (including this one). Anway, thank you so much to anyone who commented, left kudos or even simply read the piece! It really means a lot to me that you enjoyed it so much and hope to see more of you guys in my future (Voltron) fics! Have a good day and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Lance had actually intended to spend the next three days sitting next to Keith's healing pod and wait for him to wake up, until Shiro had told him to hit the hay after not going to bed for two days. The Cuban eventually reluctantly gave in, immediately coming back the next day to resume what he had been doing before the black paladin so rudely interrupted him. It was pretty strange to Lance. At first, the Cuban had been pretty relieved to hear that he wouldn't have to endure a lovestruck Keith because he was going to spend the next couple of days in a pod. But in that very moment, while he sat on one of the beds the med bay provided and waited for the raven haired boy to wake up, there was this feeling pooling in the blue paladin's stomach. A feeling of sadness, a feeling of despair. Because once Keith was awake again that would mean everything would be over. It would just be the same as before, the both of them bickering like children. And even though Lance wanted their situation to change so desperately, he would probably never be able to get himself to actually confess to the red paladin. Getting rejected numerous times by both girls and boys in High School and the Garrison really traumatised Lance and turned him into a coward, even though he didn't want to admit it. But he was well aware of that fact and knowing that he would never be able to get the one thing he had craved his entire life made him feel extremely depressed. He wanted to know how Keith loved, how he actually loved. But for that to even happen in the first place, the blue paladin needed to talk to the raven haired boy about how he felt, which could end well but also go horribly wrong. Because if Keith actually ended up rejecting him that would mean not only risking losing the sort-of-friendship the both of them had built during their time as paladins, but also putting the rest of the team in jeopardy. They wouldn't be able to form Voltron and the universe would be doomed. (Let's be real, those two are stubborn bastards.) But avoiding and simply not talking to each other after the raven haired boy had woken up and was back to normal wasn't an option either, it would basically lead to the same tragedy of Zarkon's absolute universal domination. Lance really fucking preferred the first option and even though it was going to be hard (probably the hardest thing the blue paladin ever had to do in his life), he would still confess to Keith. (The Cuban wouldn't be able to endure the awkwardness the second possibility of choice was going to bring.) Lance quickly closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down a little. He felt like he was going to have an emotional breakdown at any given second. And even though he didn't want to admit it, those past days had been pretty tiring for him. Keith got hurt because of the blue paladin's own stupidness and he couldn't stop himself from feeling guilty. But before the Cuban even got a chance to really prepare himself for the upcoming conversation with the raven haired boy, the healing pod swished open, Lance immediately getting up from his seat on the floor to catch Keith in his arms and prevent him from falling. The blue paladin swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple visibly bobbling in his throat. Keith looked up at the Cuban and blinked a couple of times, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Lance immediately noticed that the venom of the bug had left the red paladin's system because the all too familiar expression of adoration for the Cuban he always used to wear while being bit had been replaced with one of disarray.

"Lance?", the raven haired boy breathed, a quiet groan following afterwards as he reached one hand up to rub at his forehead to ease the pain a little.

"Yeah. How are you feeling, buddy?", the blue paladin asked, feeling heat slightly rise to his cheeks when he noticed that his hands were still resting on Keith's hips. The both of them were dangerously close, a little too close for Lance's liking as his cheeks became an even darker shade of red.

"To be honest, I've been better. But what-" Keith let out a deep, strangled groan as he doubled over, pushing Lance away from him harshly (even though he didn't actually mean to), causing the Cuban to almost lose his footing when he stumbled backwards a couple of steps. After a couple of seconds of clutching his forehead and giving numerous whimpers of pain, the red paladin raised his gaze and looked at the Cuban with an expression of shock and regret. The blue paladin's heart clenched just at the sight of it. The effects of the venom had finally subsided, turning Keith into his normal, usual self again and also causing him to remember the things the two of them had to go through those past couple of days. It must have been hard on the raven haired boy, not being able to control his actions. And even though Lance should have probably been there for the red paladin and should have supported him, he couldn't focuse on anything else but the piercing pain in his chest which made it feel like he had just been stabbed in the heart when Keith said the one thing the Cuban had prayed he wouldn't.

"Oh no. Oh, god, no." And if the blue paladin didn't have at least one bit of shame and self-control left he would have probably started crying on the spot. Lance immediately flung the idea of confessing to Keith once he was back to normal out the window just as he had witnessed the red paladin's unhappy expression while remembering the things that happened between the both of them during his time of being bit by that stupid love bug. The blue paladin was barely able to hold himself together in that moment, vocalizing the one thing that came to his mind.

"Welcome back, Keith.", he spoke, a small but cold smile creeping onto his lips as he turned around and began walking towards the exit of the med bay.

"Lance, wait!", the red paladin called, Lance stopping dead in his tracks.

"What is it, Keith?", the Cuban asked, trying his best to sound as annoyed as possible to get Keith to leave him alone and avoid the possible rejection, spinning around as he spoke with a loud, exaggerated sigh. The red paladin shot him a hesitant smile and crossed the distance between them with a couple of long strides, haltingly grabbing Lance's hand. (If Lance hadn't been angry, sad and totally confused he would have almost dared to call the way Keith was acting cute.) The blue paladin's world began to turn upside down as he completely failed to understand what the hell was going on. Had the love bug's bite not worn off yet?

"I know what you're probably thinking right now.", the red paladin quietly sighed, closing his eyes for a couple of seconds and taking deep breaths before he continued.

"But everything that I said and did... I meant it.", the raven spoke, tightening his grip on Lance's hand to lay emphasis on his words. The Cuban froze for a short moment, his heart beating so quickly, he thought it was going to jump out of his chest at any given second. The blue paladin freed himself from Keith's grasp, stumbling backwards a couple of steps, causing him to almost fall to the ground for the second time that day.

"Keith, you're not making any sense! Are you sure the venom is out of your system a hundred percent?"

"If I'm being honest, I still feel a little fuzzy and I'm probably not fully here yet, but I would have otherwise never been able to build up the courage to try and confess to you.", Keith chuckled, shooting Lance the best and brightest smile he could muster.

"Okay, let me stop you right there.", the blue paladin spoke, grabbing the raven haired boy's shoulders and pushing him towards one of the beds, forcing him to sit down.

"Wait right here while I call Coran." Lance used the castle's speakers to call Coran, who barged into the med bay after barely one minute had passed.

"Lance, my boy, excellent timing!", he chimed, walking up towards one of the cabinets, rummaging through it.

"I was able to finish the antidote yesterday. And if number four really isn't fully out of it yet, like you're saying, this should help.", Coran explained, letting out a content little sigh when he found what he had been looking for: a syringe with weird-looking blue liquid in it. Coran quickly asked Keith to hold still before injecting him with the strange fluid he had brewed himself, the red paladin shuddering as it coursed through his bloodstream. Coran did another quick test to see if the raven haired boy's hormone levels were still through the roof, the examination turning out to be negative. Keith had been rid completely of love bug venom. While Coran was celebrating his little victory and as the red paladin stared at the ground in shame of forcing himself onto the Cuban during his time of being bit, Lance felt like his heart was crumbling into a thousand pieces because of two obvious reasons: The time of receiving unlimited affection from Keith was officially over and the raven haired boy had simply looked so ashamed and displeased while remembering the things that happened between the both of them. The latter was the only proof Lance needed to know that Keith didn't reciprocate his feelings and that confessing had been a stupid idea all along. The blue paladin began to tear up and he quickly left the med bay, not wanting to be seen crying. Lance stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the raven call his name. 

"What do you want, Keith?", the Cuban asked while turning around, his voice slightly shaking. He bit his lip, trying his absolute best to keep himself from crying, in front of Keith of all people. The red paladin closed his eyes for a couple of seconds and took deep breaths, probably to calm himself down, before answering. 

"I know, you probably won't believe me, but... even though I was still under the influence of the bug's venom, I wasn't being controlled by it. It was simply helping me do something that I had been trying to build up the courage for ever since we became paladins.", Keith spoke, looking as if this whole situation had been a terrible idea. Lance was almost jumping out of his skin in anticipation, inwardly urging the raven haired boy to hurry the hell up. The red paladin swallowed thickly before saying the one thing that the Cuban had never thought he would ever get to hear come out of Keith's mouth while he wasn't under the influence of love bug venom. 

"I love you, Lance." And even though he didn't want to, Lance burst into tears. The blue paladin had only ever braced himself for the posibility of getting rejected, not actually a positive outcome and receiving such a pleasant surprise. It felt as if tons of weight had fallen from his shoulders. The Cuban slightly smiled and furiously wiped at his face, trying to somehow get the tears to stop flowing. 

"Can you say it again? I don't think I quite caught that.", Lance joked as he got cut off by a quiet sob at the end. Keith was smiling as well, beginning to cross the couple of meters of distance between the both of them. 

"I love you, Lance. And I'll tell you as many times as you want to hear it." The raven grabbed the Cuban's hands, intertwining them with his. The blue paladin's crying only intensified, but Keith quickly silenced him by pressing his lips against Lance's. And holy hell did that kiss feel amazing. Keith's hands were warm and roaming all over the Cuban's chest, causing his skin to feel like it was on fire. The kiss was firm and had something comforting about it, like the red paladin was trying to communicate with Lance with his actions rather than his words. Like he was trying to tell him that he was there. That he was one hundred percent there and not being influenced by the love bug's venom anymore. Keith licked the blue paladin's lower lip and Lance quickly granted him entrance, their tongues intertwining. That kiss was exactly what the Cuban had needed, Keith ripping an occasional whimper from his lips. Lance was the first to pull away. He still hadn't said it back yet. 

"I love you, too, Keith.", he smiled, leaning towards Keith, so their foreheads were touching. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, before Lance pulled back and spoke up again.

"Let's go eat dinner, shall we?", he chuckled, grabbing the red paladin's hand as he began walking down the halls of the castle. When the both of them arrived at the dining hall, everyone except for Coran was already sitting at the table, enjoying a plate of green food goo. The moment they noticed Keith's and Lance's intertwined hands, Allura and Shiro began smiling sweetly at the two, while Hunk let out a cry of victory and Pidge made an exaggerated gagging-noise. The blue paladin couldn't help but smile, looking down at the raven haired boy whose cheeks were a bright pink because of a beautiful blush. 

"Wait, wait, wait!", Hunk called in an excited voice as he jumped up from his seat at the table. 

"Who confessed first?" A mischievous smirk creeped onto Lance's lips as he pointed at the raven haired boy standing next to him, who blushed an even darker shade of red, if that was even possible. (The Cuban almost died of cuteness overload.) Pidge bounced up from her seat as well, laughing victoriously. Hunk crossed his arms and began to pout. 

"Pay up, Hunk.", the green paladin spoke and tried her best not to have a laughing fit, reaching her hand out. Hunk sighed defeatedly, grabbing a one hundred GAC bill from his back pocket and handing it to Pidge. 

"You bet on us?", Lance asked with a chuckle. Both Pidge and the yellow paladin nodded, sitting down at the table again. 

"Believe it or not, we knew that you guys have the hots for each other before you even knew it yourselves.", Pidge spoke, gesturing around wildly with her spoon and rolling her eyes in an overdramatic manner. Lance looked down at Keith again, their gazes meeting. The red paladin's indigo eyes seemed more vibrant than ever and the Cuban noticed that his lips were slightly swollen and bruised from their kiss earlier. Pidge could be heard gagging in the background while Hunk let out a quiet 'aw' as Lance quickly pecked Keith on the lips and shot him his sweetest, brightest smile. The blue paladin finally got the one thing he desired the most: to experience how the raven actually loved.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
